


The Heart of a Toon

by MsFaust



Series: Inky Tales [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Gen, Toon Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-12-01 00:13:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: In order to put an end to the madness unleashed by Joey Drew, Henry makes a sacrifice. Somehow, this turns out to be no bad thing.(Or a somewhat lighter 'Henry becomes a Toon' AU idea)Interesting fact: I came up with this before I knew Toon Henry AUs already existed.





	The Heart of a Toon

"This is bad."

Bendy's uncharacteristically worried expression made it all too clear how serious the situation was. After everything the four had been through, Henry couldn't argue.

"Whatever messed up magic Joey used to try and turn himself into a Toon is wreaking havoc, and if nothing's done, things will only get worse. Which means we have to end it now, before it spreads."

"But against a Toon, humans can't possibly win," Alice said, clutching her heart worriedly. "You'll get killed!"

"I know that. But I can't let you guys face him alone. That means there's only one way I can stop Joey."

Boris's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

Henry nodded. "I've got no chance as a human. But if I became a Toon..."

"You sure about this?" Bendy asked, watching his creator step into the magic circle. "Even if it doesn't go wrong, like with Joey, it's one way. No goin' back, remember?"

"I know that," Henry said again, closing his eyes. "But it will work. After all, I know where Joey went wrong." He spread his arms. "Hit me."

Nervously, the little demon approached the switch, remembering how he'd helped Joey not that long ago.

 _And look what happened to him_ , Bendy thought. _Got himself turned into a monster. I don't want that to happen to Henry..._

_Please, please let this work._

(BATIM)

"DAMNIT!"

The inky horror that had once been Joey Drew slammed a fist into the wall, causing the Searchers to flee, lest they be destroyed.

"I should have called him here sooner," he muttered. "Maybe then he wouldn't have called me crazy. Maybe he'd have helped me accomplish my dreams...helped me become a real Toon rather than this accursed monster." He clenched one hand into a fist. "Why can't he understand?"

"You got it wrong, Joey."

Joey whipped around, droplets of ink flying all over the place. Standing in the doorway was a new Toon--a young man with brown hair, arms folded confidently. He looked very much like a drawing Henry had once made of himself as a cartoon, although the clothes were quite different.

"Henry?!?"

"That's right." The newly transformed former animator gave a small grin as he stepped into the room, followed by Bendy, Boris, and Alice. "I had a look at that ritual you used, and I figured out why it didn't work right for you. It was the most important thing you needed--'the heart of a Toon.' You took it literally--that's why you cut Boris open."

"That really hurt, y'know," Boris put in. "Thank goodness for that ink bath Bendy gave me."

"But it wasn't meant to be literal," Henry continued, putting a hand on Boris's shoulder. "Having 'the heart of a Toon' means understanding what it's like to be one: the desire to entertain, the willingness to overlook what should and shouldn't be possible, and most importantly, the love of laughter. Now, you may have had that once, but not any more. You've forgotten what cartooning is all about--joy."

Joey clutched his head, shaking in disbelief.

"No...I...you're...RAAAAAAGH!"

With a scream of rage, Joey launched himself forward, reaching out with clawed hands. Henry leaned backwards, bending further than he would have been able to were he still human. Flipping back, he reached behind his back and withdrew a cartoon axe. At the same time, Bendy, Boris, and Alice drew their own weapons and attacked the Searchers, who had been attracted by Joey's furious cry.

Before long, it had turned into an all-out melee, as Henry fought his former pal while Bendy and his friends kept Joey's minions at bay. Though Joey's liquid form made finding a weakness extremely difficult, the attributes of Henry's new form proved very helpful. Finally, Henry managed to land a blow close to Joey's neck, creating a nasty gash that _didn't_ close and making Joey howl in pain.

"NOW!"

Hearing this, Alice grabbed Bendy and carried him over the heads of the Searchers. The demon Toon withdrew a small bottle from hammerspace, and as Alice released him, he landed on Joey's back. Holding on tightly as the beast tried to throw him off, he reached the wound and poured the bottle's contents into it before jumping down. Almost instantly, Joey's inky body began to quiver like Jello in a 9.0 earthquake.

"He's gonna blow!" Boris shouted.

Henry grabbed Bendy and bolted out, the wolf and angel right behind him. As they ran, they heard a sound like a balloon full of liquid bursting, and a wave of ink rushed towards them. Luckily, they were able to reach a staircase and avoid the river of black.

(BATIM)

"Everyone OK?" asked Henry, setting Bendy down.

Alice nodded as she landed, gasping for breath. "That was too close."

"Yeah," Boris agreed. "Thought we were goners."

The four sat on the floor, getting their bearings. Finally, Bendy broke the silence.

"So what now?"

"Well, we can't stay here. It's no place to live, even if there are good memories along with the bad." Henry let out a sigh. "Don't know how things will be for us Toons, but all we can do is keep going."

"Are you going to try and find a way to back to normal?" Alice inquired.

"Not really," Henry admitted with a smile. "To be honest, being a Toon's fun." He stood up, holding out a hand. "You guys coming?"

Bendy nodded eagerly. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

"This isn't a popsicle stand," said Boris confusedly. "This is a studio."

"Boris, we really gotta do something about you bein' so literal."

All four Toons laughed.


End file.
